HONOLULU, Hawai'i - Gabrielle Reinking and Aliyah Moore clinched the 3-2 dual victory for Concordia University Irvine beach volleyball team over Saint Mary's with a 15-11 third-set win in the final match to cap the Heineken Queen's Cup. 

The Golden Eagles wrapped up an action-packed weekend at the Heineken Queen's Cup on Saturday, splitting their final two duals at Queen's Beach. After a tough 4-1 morning loss to San Jose State, the Golden Eagles showed their grit in the finale, soaring to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Saint Mary's to finish 3-3 on the weekend. 

CUI 1, SAN JOSE STATE 4

The morning session against the Spartans was a game of inches, with four of the five flights decided by three points or fewer in key sets. The Golden Eagles found their spark at the No. 3 flight, where Kelia Giusta and Ashley Rossi put on a clinic. The duo dismantled Kaia Fanshier and Grace Baker in a dominant 21-15, 21-5 sweep to put CUI on the board.

The rest of the lineup battled through nail-biters but couldn't quite find the finishing touch. Olivia Medina and Lexi Godbey pushed their opponents to the limit at the No. 2 spot (21-19, 26-24), while Rosie Cline and Jordan Vander Veen fell just short in a pair of 22-20 sets at the No. 4 flight. Despite a three-set marathon from Teagan Algarra and Jayda Tupea and at the No. 5 spot, the Spartans managed to sweep the remaining courts to take the dual.

CUI 3, SAINT MARY'S 2

Head coach Jenny Griffith shuffled the deck for the tournament finale, elevating Giusta and Rossi to the No. 2 flight a move that paid immediate dividends. 

After the Gaels took an early lead at the No. 5 spot, Giusta and Rossi stayed hot, leveling the dual with a composed 21-19, 21-17 victory over Saint Mary's Hannah Couch and Genevieve Bane.

Saint Mary's reclaimed the lead after the No. 3 flight, applying pressure to the Golden Eagles needed to sweep the remaining two courts to clinch the victory. Cline and Vander Veen answered the call at the No. 4 flight, displaying incredible poise in a 21-17, 18-21, 15-12 three-set thriller to tie the match at 2-2.

The dual came down to the top flight, where Reinking and Moore fought through a margin second set 22-24, before dominating in the tiebreaker to clinch the dual for the Green and Gold 15-11. 

UP NEXT

The Golden Eagles return to the mainland for Senior Day on Saturday, March 14, at OC Great Park. CUI will host The Master's University at 11:00 a.m. and MiraCosta College at 3:00 p.m. 

Fans are encouraged to stay for the Senior Day ceremony following the final match (approximately 5:00 p.m.). 

CLICK HERE for the full CUI beach volleyball schedule